Cissnei's Discovery
by HBear
Summary: Takes place at the end of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. Cissnei set off to find Zack before the ShinRa troops. We all know that she failed. So what was her reaction and what did she go through? My first One-shot. Please Read and Review! Thanx.


***Dislaimer: **Sadly, i do not own these characters. They are owned by Square Enix.

***A/N: **My first fan fic. Enjoy! Please Read and Review :)

**Cissnei's discovery  
**

Cissnei smiled to herself as she listened to Reno and Rude bicker to each other. She told them to change course and after hearing Reno's oh-so-enthusiastic "Roger", she cut off the connection. She scanned the land before her, focusing on the job at hand. She had promised Tseng that she would bring Zack back alive. She never broke a promise.

Cissnei and her pilot searched quietly for about a half an hour before the sky began to suddenly cloud up. She gave a mental sigh. Searching in the rain was going to make this mission nearly impossible. Reno had been right when he said that it was like finding two needles in a hay stack. Cissnei continued to scan the rocky terrain below for a few more minutes before her pilot stiffened beside her.

"Miss! Look straight ahead!" he handed her his binoculars and she put them to her face. Cissnei turned and gasped. Her heart sank. She could see two helicopters in the distance, ShinRa infantrymen piling out.

"Zack!" Cissnei cried.

She nodded to the pilot and stared anxiously ahead. Were they going to be too late? The helicopters were still miles away, black dots that were becoming bigger at an agonizingly slow pace. The pilot pushed the helicopter as fast as it would go, but each second that ticked away took a piece of her confidence with it. She took the moment to contact Reno and Rude again.

"Guys! I found them." she blurted out as soon as she heard the soft ping that ensured their successful connection.

"What!? Where?" Reno asked.

Cissnei gave him the coordinates, her voice shaking slightly.

Apparently, Reno noticed.

"Cissnei? What's wrong, yo? They aren't already......?"

"No. But they could be any second. The troops are already there."

"Are you serious?! Shit!" was Reno's answer. Cissnei heard Reno mess with the controls on the helicopter while he headed towards the coordinates she gave them.

"We are on our way Cissnei." Rude's voice was kind and urgent. Cissnei could tell that he didn't know what to say. Her anxiety was growing more and more as she continued to stare at the ShinRa troops ahead. She couldn't see where the troops were anymore, they had gone behind a mountain face. Cissnei sat on the edge of her seat, feeling extremely helpless.

Hold on Zack. Please hold on.

Bringing Zack back alive wasn't just an order from Tseng. It was also an order from herself. Zack was her friend. A very good friend. She loved him, but it was a friendly love. She loved him enough that imagining a world without him seemed......wrong. Almost like it would be a darker place. Zack lit up the lives of everyone he surrounded himself with, whether he was conscious of it or not. His smile was contagious. She saw how all the men in SOLDIER looked at him. Their eyes full of respect and admiration. He always looked out for others, even if it meant risking his own life. Yes, she thought. She HAD to get to him.

She could see the ShinRa logo on the helicopters now, but they were still far ahead. And something was happening. The helicopters were shooting missiles. Cissnei could only look on in horror. She still couldn't see the infantrymen, or Zack. She nervously began rubbing her hands together.

Things remained that way for about 5 minutes, but then all hell broke lose. One helicopter exploded, causing the other one to steer dangerously close to the mountain face in order to avoid the debris. The remaining helicopter then disappeared behind the mountain, out of Cissnei's sight. She held her breath until she saw a huge flash of light. That one had either crashed or exploded as well. Just then, Cissnei heard the ping that said Reno and Rude were trying to get a hold of her. She numbly accepted their call. She was silent.

"Cissnei!? What the hell is going on, yo? Was that a helicopter that just exploded?!" Cissnei would have grimaced from the volume of Reno's shout, but she was too numb.

"Yes." her voice came out in a barely-audible whisper.

Reno had seen, which meant they were also close to Zack (coming from the opposite direction). But....Cissnei was beginning to think that they may be too late. The amount of infantrymen she saw unload from the helicopters...there was no way Zack could fight them all off. SOLDIER First Class or not. Cissnei had been so enveloped in her thoughts that she barely heard Reno's shocked whisper.

"Oh. My. God, yo." Cissnei immedietly snapped out of her stupor.

"What!? What is it, Reno!?"

"Shit, yo. That's a lot of guys...."

Cissnei felt a lump form in her throat. She didn't know she was crying until she felt a single tear slowly make its way down her face. She wiped it away quickly. Turks never cry. She took a deep breath. She wanted to ask Reno a question, but she was afraid of the answer.

"Reno," she had to clear her throat before continuing. "What is the target's status?"

When Reno answered, awe and pity were laced into his voice.

"The target is......fighting. There are about...... 70 infantrymen currently shooting at him, and….about 100 infantrymen already down for the count...."

A choked sob made its way out of her throat. She could picture it. As much as she didn't want to, she could. She continued to sit stiffly in her seat, listening to Reno give an update on the target every few seconds. It was hard to listen to. Here she was, listening to a step by step report of her friend fighting for his life. And Cloud's, she realized. She knew Zack was fighting for him. Zack was just, that kind of person.

"Oh _shit_, yo. There are only three guys left. The target is in bad shape. Can barely swing his sword around. I know ShinRa wants this guy dead, but this.....this is madness. This isn't right."

Just as he said that, both Reno and Rude yelled.

"What the fuck?! Those Shinra bastards aren't even human, yo!" Cissnei could almost see the horrified expression on Reno's face.

"How could they......" Rude's voice tapered off to a disbelieving whisper at the end.

Cissnei felt time stop. Sure she was still speeding towards the mountain, but she felt frozen. Her heart beat irregularly in her chest, and her breath came out in short, gasping sobs. At first she thought her sobbing had become louder, but then she realized that it was raining. The sky outside seemed to cry with her. It shed its tears over the land, making sure everyone felt its sorrow.

"Cissnei.......I.....I think the target is.....," Reno gave a heavy sigh. "I think Zack is...is dead."

His last word echoed in Cissnei's mind. It bounced around in her head. She felt her mind reject the thought. It cringed away from what it refused to believe. Zack wasn't dead. If he was gone, she would have felt it. A soul like his couldn't just leave without leaving some void behind. No, the earth still felt hole, but it felt paper thin. Like it could shatter at the slightest touch.

"Wait, yo. The second target has moved into view." Reno's voice had gone flat.

"He is....crawling.....towards zack." Rude sounded just as disgusted as Reno.

"Oh God, yo. Zack is still moving. Target number two is leaning over him. Cissnei, we are still too far away. How close are you?" Reno waited for her answer.

"Cissnei?" Reno's voice was now laced with worry.

Cissnei couldn't find the heart to respond. Instead, her pilot, who had remained silent the majority of their mission, answered for her.

"We should be landing in about 5 to 10 minutes."

"I dont think we are gonna make it before he...." Reno cleared his throat. "Cissnei....do you want me to.....?"

Cissnei sucked in a sharp breath. Her chest hurt, her heart felt like lead. But she knew what she had to do.

"No Reno. It's okay. I'll do it. This was my mission anyway. You should pick up those three remaining ShinRa infantrymen. If I do it, I won't be able to restrain myself. They are safer with you." she disconnected them.

She knew that Reno was looking over at Rude, his face a mask of pure shock. Cissnei was known for being extremely gentle. But right now, she didn't feel like herself, because the void was there, she could feel it. The already dark sky seemed to get even darker; her heart felt like a piece was missing. All her years of Turk training seemed to be the only thing keeping her from losing it. She definitely did not feel like herself. No, she feared she would never feel like herself again. Not only did she break a promise, but she let down a friend. And now that friend was gone. Forever.

Cissnei took a deep, shaky breath before dialing a number into her cell phone. He answered on the first ring.

"Did you get them?" Tseng sounded so professional, but Cissnei knew him well enough to hear the worry in his voice.

Cissnei hesitated. And that was all Tseng needed.

"So he's gone then."  
"I'm so sorry Tseng. I failed. And broke my promise and now......now Zack is....." Cissnei could barely speak through her tears. She heard him give a deep sigh before speaking again. His voice was firm and soothing at the same time.

"Cissnei. If you did your best, that's all that matters. Zack made his own choices. Don't blame yourself."

Tseng's kind words made her chest hurt even more. She wished he would yell at her.

"Thank you." she choked out between body shaking sobs.

"Please, say goodbye for me." with that, Tseng hung up. Cissnei closed her phone and put it away. They were nearing the giant mountain of rock, and Cissnei was beginning to dread what they would find. But she was a Turk, and someone had to do it.

There was the soft beeping noise again. She accepted the connection.

"Yes Reno?" Her voice cracked. She was still having trouble breathing let alone speaking.

"We picked up the infantrymen. They were on motorbikes heading back towards ShinRa" he paused. "Looks like I couldn't restrain myself either, yo...now they are in the back with huge lumps on their heads." He was silent before continuing. "And. If you want an update on what we are seeing......?"

"Let me have it Reno."

"Ya sure, yo?"

"Positive. We are about to land anyway. I'll be seeing it with my own eyes soon enough."

"Yeah. I can see you guys heading this way. Well, looks like Zack gave the other target.....do you know his name?"

"Cloud. He's a friend of Zack's." Cissnei's voice felt empty. She's sure it sounded that way too.

"Ok. So, Zack gave Cloud his sword before...before he....um."

"Died." Cissnei finished for him.

"Yeah. And now Cloud is headed towards ShinRa. We can pick him up for you if ya want. He isn't moving fast. The sword is huge and heavy. Also, Cloud doesn't look ok. I never saw him get attacked, but he sure doesn't look like he should be walking."

"Yeah I remember. Zack said he had mako poisoning. A severe case of it. We are about to land. See you both back at the office."

"Alright, yo. And Cissnei?"

"Yes Reno?"

"Take your time."

Cissnei closed her eyes and gave a small smile.

"Roger. Cissnei out." She disconnected them again.

Cissnei's mind wandered. Wandered to the last time she had seen Zack. She was glad that she let him escape....at the time. But now that she thought about it, she wished she had brought him back to ShinRa. Of course, they would have probably wanted to continue experimenting on him, but at least he would be alive. They would have thought of something. No, she thought. Zack never would have been happy that way. His spirit was a free one. He needed freedom to be happy.

Just then, they began to slow down. The mountain of rock was just ahead. Cissnei gripped the arm rests and held her breath, fighting against the urge to close her eyes. The pilot expertly turned the helicopter and descended, landing just outside of hell. At least that's what it looked like to her. The bloody bodies of ShinRa infantrymen lay scattered about, but she paid them no mind. Her eyes locked on one body, and one body only. She felt herself walk towards him, her mind too numb for her to think. When she reached him, she felt her shoes soak through with his blood. She was too numb to care. She sat back on her legs and stared at his smiling face. Even in death, he was smiling.

Cissnei turned off her Turk instincts and let her emotions take over for once. The tears mixed with the rain falling down her cheeks. She laid her head on her arms which she had placed on his chest. He was still warm. Cissnei sat like that for what felt like an eternity. Her tears finally stopped, and she felt exhausted. Already the world seemed like a darker place. Cissnei looked up and caressed Zack's cheek with her fingers.

"You will be missed Zack Fair. More than you will ever know."

She laid her forehead, which she was sure was now going to get covered in his blood, back on his chest one last time before getting to her feet. She looked down at him, her eyes run dry of tears.

She suddenly realized that it had stopped raining. The sun broke through the clouds and lit up the cliff around her. She knew it was his doing. She looked up at the sky. There, falling towards her, was a single feather. She held her hand out and waited. It landed softly in her palm. The feather was long and white, except the very base was a familiar black.... Cissnei closed her fingers around the feather that felt like satin and looked up at the sky again. She smiled.

The pilot was checking the bodies of all the Shinra infantrymen, looking for any survivors. Cissnei walked over to him.

"Have you found any?"

The pilot shook his head and stood, brushing his hands together before putting them on his hips.

"No. The target wiped all these men out. There are over 150 of them. Amazing...". He glanced at the scene before them, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I will call a clean up crew to come and pick all these bodies up."

Cissnei nodded.

"But we are taking Zack with us."

The pilot looked at her curiously for a second before looking away and nodding.

"Alright. I will go get the stretcher."

With that he turned and disappeared into the helicopter. Cissnei once again walked over to zack, but instead of looking down, she looked at the view. ShinRa stood in the distance, the same as always. But to Cissnei, the structure and its meaning had changed. It was no longer her home. No, as she looked at ShinRa now, she saw how dark and evil it really was.

She heard the pilot's footsteps splash through a puddle as he came up behind her. He laid the stretcher down on the ground, where it immediately turned a sickening red. It took Cissnei a second to realize that it was Zack's blood soaking through. She looked away when she felt her tears threaten to come back. She took a deep breath and helped the pilot gently lift him onto the stretcher. She kept her eyes on his smiling face as they slowly made it towards the helicopter. When they had gently placed him in the back, Cissnei climbed into her seat. She looked at the feather in her hand. She couldn't help but feel like it was Zack's way of telling her not to be sad. She could almost hear him laugh and say:

_I am finally free_


End file.
